Casting Actors to Play Helena and Hermia from William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream

2563 Words6 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Shakespeare treatment of love in midsummer night dream

Casting Actors to Play Helena and Hermia from William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream A Midsummer Night’s Dream examines the theme of love in all its aspects. When Act one scene One opens we are at the court of Duke Theseus and he is swearing his undying love for Hippolyta so at the very start we are introduced to love and its deep emotional impact. The declaration of love between the Ducal pair is shortened by the arrival of Egeus with his disobedient daughter Hermia. The mood immediately changes and we discover that Hermia rather than being filled with filial love is determined to marry Lysander rather than her father’s choice for her. And so the love theme is made more complex as we have the wrathful love of her father confronted by the love of her daughter for the man who is not her fathers’ choice. The love theme is further complicated by the arrival of Helena. Here we see the platonic love of two friends. Undermined by sexual attraction when we discover that Helena is in love with Demetrius, the suitor that Egeus has chosen for his daughter Hermia to marry. All these complexities of the love theme I will have to reveal both as a director and in the performance of the two young women, Hermia and Helena. Hermias’ costume is quite simplistic but very feminine. It is pink Elizabethan linen with purple lining and a gold rim at the bottom. It has puffy sleeves and it cuts across her shoulders with gold lace also around the rim. She wears a headdress with a band around her forehead with a diamond attached to it and jewellery to reflect her wealth. She also wears elegant purple slippers. The whole costume portrays... ... middle of paper ... ...uke pronounces that Athenian law calls for the death sentence, Hermia bravely decides to die rather than yield to man whom she does not love. When Lysander suggests that the two of them run away and get married, she does not hesitate to accept his offer. In the first scene of the play, we are also introduced to Helena's problem, which is that she desperately loves Demetrius, but he is in love with her friend Hermia. Both Lysander and Helena herself reveal that Demetrius was at one time involved with Helena. Lysander tells Theseus that Demetrius "Made love to … Helena, And won her soul.” Helena says that before Demetrius looked upon Hermia, "He hail'd down oaths that he was only mine.” In an attempt to win back some of Demetrius's affection, Helena tells him of Hermia's plan to meet in the wood and elope with Lysander.

Show More
Related

  • Control In A Midsummer Night's Dream

    530 Words  | 2 Pages

    In act two scene two Lysander continues to insult Hermia. For example in the book it states “ Content with Hermia? No, I do repent…” (2.2.118-120). This shows that Lysander wants Helena’s love, but he is trying to hard to get it. In act three scene two Helena finds that both Lysander and Demetrius are “mocking” her. For example in the book it states “ ...I pray you,though you mock me, gentlemen.” (3.2.314). This shows that Helena doesn’t believe that Demetrius and Lysander “love” her. Oberon and Lysander find it impossible to control love.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Love In A Midsummer Night's Dream

    2713 Words  | 6 Pages

    RF Hermia and Lysander face many hardships to be together. “Upon that day either prepare to die for disobedience to your father’s will, or else to wed

    Read More

  • Civilized Law In A Midsummer Night's Dream Essay

    884 Words  | 2 Pages

    As the story unrolls Helena, and Demetrius love each other, while Hermia and Lysander feel the same way about one another. Theseus realizes that all is well and against Egeus’s will he letts the lovers remain with each other. Here are his own words, “Egeus, i will overbear your will; for in this temple, by and by, with us these couples shall eternally be knit” (4.1.174-176). This part of the play brings them out of “the wild” and back to the castle where all is excellent. The story shows a considerable difference in the transition from wilderness to the court yard. While in the wilderness everything seemed to go wrong. They always seemed lost, confused, and taken away from the truth. The truth being the law of the land. Then once they enter the courtyard everything changes and nothing but truth and love come out of the four lovers.

    Read More

  • A Midsummer Night's Dream: Nature and Consequences of Infatuation

    1174 Words  | 3 Pages

    Infatuation causes Helena to lose all sense of dignity, as can be seen when in the woods, she desperately pleads with Demetrius to ?but treat me as your spaniel?. Here, Helena also becomes irrational, obsessed with pursuing Demetrius, though it is obvious that Demetrius is fixated on winning Hermia?s hand in marriage. Helena?s infatuation also causes her to see things from a skewed perspective, for she falsely believes that when she divulges Hermia?s plans for eloping with Lysander, Demetrius? love for Helena will rekindle. As the audience, we know that the most probable course of action for Demetrius upon hearing such news is to pursue Lysander and Hermia, or to report them to Theseus or Egeus. Clearly, infatuation has clouded Helena?s ability to think clearly, and she sees things in her own idealistic way.

    Read More

  • Love and Desire in A Midsummer Night’s Dream

    816 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some of the most prominent themes in A Midsummer Night’s Dream are the omnipresence of love and desire and the tendencies of characters to manifest their defining traits. Helena and Hermia are two perfect examples of this. Hermia is the lover, and Helena the desirer, and both thrive off of their obsessions. In fact, both women are so tied to these traits that when they are taken away, their characters deflate and fall static.

    Read More

  • The Relationship Dynamics Of A Midsummer Night's Dream

    1353 Words  | 3 Pages

    The relationship between Demetrius and Hermia is problematic, in that Demetrius is seeking the affections of Hermia, while she is in love with Lysander. However, Hermia’s father approves of Demetrius and tries to force her to marry him, but Hermia refuses because of her love for Lysander (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 1.1.22-82). Lysander points out the flaw in the situation through this comment, “You have her father 's love, Demetrius –/Let me have Hermia 's. Do you marry him,” (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 1.1.93-94). The second flawed relationship is between Lysander and Helena, as a result of an enchantment put on Lysander that made him fall in love with Helena. Helena does not want the affections of Lysander, but rather the love of Demetrius, and believes that Lysander is taunting her. In addition, this relationship creates tensions because Hermia is in love with Lysander (A Midsummer Night’s Dream 2.2.109-140). Both relationships are not desirable due to a lack of mutual admiration and the creation of non-peaceful and unsatisfying

    Read More

  • The Men of Rule in William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

    1337 Words  | 3 Pages

    Theseus and Oberon are both compassionate and understanding towards the young lovers, Hermia and Lysander, and Helena and Demetrius. They are involved in a love triangle that encompasses matters of the law and love. Demetrius intends to marry Hermia, although, she shares a mutual love with Lysander; Helena loves Demetrius, although, he no longer loves her. Theseus, as the Duke of Athens, maintains the laws and standards of Athenian society. He acknowledges “the Ancient privilege of Athens” (I.1.41) that allows Egeus to “dispose of” (I.1.42) Hermia. This law permits Egeus to give his daughter to Demetrius or “to death, according to [the] law” (I.1.44). However, Theseus takes pity on Hermia and gives he...

    Read More

  • Hermia from A Midsummer Night's Dream

    522 Words  | 2 Pages

    Presented with many obstacles and complications to overcome, we know that Hermia is the protagonist in the play. She has relations with almost all the characters in the play. The first and most important relationship is her love, Lysander. From the very beginning we see that Hermia loves Lysander with all her heart and soul and he loved her the same. The only tragic flaw in their relationship was when Puck put the magic juice in Lysander's eyes and he fell in love with Helena. Hermia felt sad and rejected when that happened. But when Puck finally realized that he had made a mistake and corrected it, Hermia and Lysander were in their heavenly bliss of love once again.

    Read More

  • A Midsummer Night's Dream Character Analysis Essay

    708 Words  | 2 Pages

    Helena was the younger sister of Hermia. It often bothered her that her sister got all the attention, and she even want it. Helena was madly in love with Demetrius, However Demetrius was arranged to marry Hermia. Helena truly believe she was not good enough, and could not understand why Demetrius did now want

    Read More

  • Love, Lust and Infatuation in Midsummer Night’s Dream

    1461 Words  | 3 Pages

    Love, lust and infatuation all beguile the senses of the characters in this dreamy and whimsical work of Shakespeare, and leads them to act in outlandish ways, which throughly amuses the reader. True love does prevail in the end for Hermia and Lysander, and the initial charm of infatuation ends up proving to have happy consequence for Helena and Demetrius as well. Even when at first the reader thinks that, in theory, the effects the potion will wear off and Lysander will once again reject Helena, Oberon places a blessings on all the couples that they should live happily ever after.

    Read More

  • Love in A Midsummer Night’s Dream

    1057 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the events which unfold in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare delivers several messages on love. Through this play, one of the significant ideas he suggests is that love is blind, often defying logic and overriding other emotions and priorities. Helena loves Demetrius unconditionally and pursues him despite knowing that he loathes her; conflict arises between Helena and Hermia, childhood best friends, over Demetrius and Lysander; and because she is in love, Queen Titania is able to see beauty and virtue in the ass-headed Nick Bottom.

    Read More

  • The Theme of Love in A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

    547 Words  | 2 Pages

    Demetrius, Helena, Lysander, and Hermia are the for young teens of the story. At the beginning of the play it is Lysander and Helena who are madly in love, and are planning to to escape from Athens to elope. Helena is in love with Demetrius, and Demetrius cared for Helena and liked her a lot but was not in love with her. As soon as Demetrius sees Hermia he immediately stops having any feelings for Helena whatsoever and is deeply in love with Hermia. Demetrius thought that he had fallen in love at first sight, but Helena was determined to show him differently. Demetrius: ³ Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit,/ For I am sick when I do look on thee.² Helena: ³And I am sick when I look not on you.² (Act II, sc. i, lines 218-220) This piece of dialogue shows how much Demetrius is now in love with Hermia from just seeing her, and how disgusted he feels when he looks upon Helena who he used to care about. Helena is simply just expressing how much she is love with Demetrius and how bad she feels that he is treating her in such a manner of hatred.

    Read More

  • Comparing Women in A Midsummer's Night's Dream and Twelfth Night

    2130 Words  | 5 Pages

    Night's Dream, one will notice an immense difference in the way that a noble woman compared

    Read More

  • Egeus And Hermia's Relationship

    1343 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hermia’s feelings are greatly ignored in the play by various characters, especially by her father, Egeus. Her genuine love for Lysander is ignored based on her father’s desires and preference of Demetrius. Women in the play are depicted as prizes for men, and their feelings are often ignored. That statement is not limited to Hermia either: it relates to Hippolyta’s relationship with Theseus, as he claimed her heart by “wooing her with my sword” (1.1. 16), or simply beating her in battle. Hermia’s genuine desire to be with Lysander and displeasure towards Demetrius should be evident by the fact that she is willing to become a nun over marrying Demetrius; if she cannot be with her true love, then anyone else is simply not acceptable.

    Read More

  • Helena And Hermia Compare And Contrast

    1164 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the play,Hermia and Helena are the main female protagonists and 2 of the four lovers. They have some similarities in their personalities as they are both girls that are headstrong people that want things to go their way and won’t give up until it happens. Even though it is inevitable that they share some common personality traits that are interchangeable between them,However, that is not true. While they both do some similar personalities,they actually have very different personalities.

    Read More

More about Casting Actors to Play Helena and Hermia from William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream

Open Document